Cumberland Valley and Wilson played hockey with a playoff-like intensity Wednesday night at Twin Ponds West, and with good reason.

The Bulldogs had spent the season chasing down the high-flying Eagles, and with a win Wednesday the invaders from Berks County would finally pull even in CPIHL Tier I.

We've got a dead heat.

Koby Mayer and Mike Simmerman scored third period goals for Wilson, then the Bulldogs survived a furious CV attack in the closing moments to escape TPW with a 5-4 win in a game that lived up to advance billing.

At 13-1-2 for 28 points, Wilson pulled into a first-place tie with the Eagles. CV sits at 14-2-0, also worth 28. Both teams have two games left in the regular season, with the Eagles forced to skate a quick turnaround Thursday against rival Mechanicsburg in a game snowed out last Friday.

Wilson's win Wednesday split the season series between the two clubs at 1-1.

"CV, they're a great club and they battled to the end," Wilson head coach Scott Hayick said. "It was a great game."

Flying down the left wing, Mayer potted a slick wrist shot short side past CV goalie Jake Morrow 2:15 into the final period to give Wilson its first lead in what was a chippy game.

Simmerman 1-timed a rebound into a gaping net three-plus minutes later -- a goal the Bulldogs would need when CV's Collin Bradley shaved it to 5-4 with 4:18 left off a scrum in front of goalie Marc Daouphars.

But the Eagles, who were short a number of players as a flu bug makes its way around the club, couldn't find the handle on a fifth marker that would have sent them home with the point that would have maintained their Tier I lead.

"I was proud of the boys," CV coach Doug Enck said. "At the end of the game, we're still carrying the play and we have 11 guys."

The Bulldogs never led until Mayer's tally. CV's Tristan Enck scored a pair of slot goals to hold off the Dogs for a while.

But Wilson's top line presure was too much to hold off for 48 minutes.

"Our top line was pressuring," Hayick said. "There were plenty of scoring chances and they couldn't bury it [early]. They keep coming and coming. The game-changer was Koby's end-to-ender."